Notice that “threading” is not a 4-letter word, and it doesn’t need to be.
The good thing is that the basics of all sergers are the same. They all have the same motions going on and the thread needs to go nearly the same way. To make things a bit easier, its helpful to start out with a primer, an explanation of what’s going on.
Sergers have 4-threads in their standard stitch. No big shock there. There are 2-needle threads and an upper and a lower looper thread. The needles are actually sewing into the fabric while the loopers never penetrate the fabric. They kind of “knit” onto the edge of the fabric holding in the raw edge. They are held on by the needle threads. There are 2 loopers. An upper looper which only shows on the TOP of the seam and a lower looper which only appears on the BOTTOM of the seam. Seems (LOL!) simple, right? Upper = top, Lower = bottom. These loopers meet at the edge.
Just to make things difficult, you may ask, what if you turn the seam over? Then the upper is on the bottom and the lower is on the top, right? The good thing is that serger seams have a definite “up” side. This is helpful if you didn’t remember which way the fabric was when sending it through the machine. Not that I have ever done it. From the top of the seam, the needles look like stitches, and the bottom they look like pin pricks. See….easy as pie 😉 Look at the picture below and see if you can figure out each thread.
Green = Upper Looper, Blue = Lower Looper, Pink/Red = Right needle, White = Left needle
Now that you know everything, lets thread it.
To get started you need a few things. First you must have a serger. Then you need thread in 4 different colors. Why? Its so much easier to balance tensions if you don’t have ALL white. For this, I give you permission to use other thread….some cheap thread or sewing machine thread or other “standard” thread. Its just for learning. You will also need your manual. Every serger is slightly different with threading tools to make things easier and if you don’t open the manual, you will NEVER learn about them. So go ahead and crease the cover open. You will also need the tweezers that came with your machine. Watch these carefully. I have found them to be a favorite of husbands who need a tool……if they are ever missing, check the toolbox. You will also need some scrap fabric and sharp scissors, not pictured. And the power cord eventually.
1st Public Service Announcement: if thread is not going somewhere nicely, please grab the scissors and give it a new end. Even if the existing end LOOKS good. Sometimes threads get a little wild and uncooperative and just don’t want to do what they should. Its so much easier to cut a new end. Please do NOT lick your thread. It doesn’t help and puts moisture (and in my case probably coffee too) into your machine.
Here is the inside of a serger. Open up the front and take a look. I have labelled things for you. Also, all sergers come with a sample of stitching stuck under the foot. PLEASE don’t just rip that out of there before looking at it. Its a good introduction. Turn the handwheel carefully, always towards you (counter clockwise) unless directed otherwise. There will also be thread in your serger, you will need to remove this. Its sometimes knotted at the top. Its best to pull it through the machine and out with the sample. Don’t try and pull things backwards, it gets messy and you don’t want messy.
Public Service Announcement! Look at the needles. Now the redish background is NOT standard and not part of your serger. Notice that the needles are NOT even. This is NORMAL and completely fine. The needles are the exact same length, but the positioning is set so that they are of a different height. If you try and change this, you will break something, even your needle on the first stitch. Some people don’t notice this until the first needle change. cough…..cough…..I did this, but don’t tell anyone.
The first thing that you need to do is open the front. Oh and extend the telescoping thread holder thingy. Thingy is a very technical term and is not to be used lightly. If you ever get confused, its the grey thing at the top of the serger. All thread will go up and through an individual hole up there.
For this model, the needles need to be in the upper most position and the upper looper all the way extended to the left. Use your handwheel for this. ANOTHER Public Service Announcement…..the looper tips are SHARP and need to be so. Please don’t go jamming your finger against one. Again…not that I have experience, I’m just guessing. Not that I have bandaids in the sewing studio either.
On a confusing side note…..most sergers are threaded in the following order: upper looper, lower looper, right needle, left needle. This is in no way, shape or form close to how the threads go on the top. For those of you, like me, who want order in your world, you must do without that for right now.
Put the thread on the second post from the right and run the end through the 2nd hold from the right on the telescoping thingy. Bring it down and you are ready to run it through the tensions. You MUST get it into the tension disks securely. In case you don’t know, the tension disks are located by that number dial. On this machine, there is a little white slider that releases the disk so that the thread slips in securely. Some models do this when the presser foot is raised.
Most sergers have weird loops and catches and hooks to go through. Take your time and look at the diagrams on the front of the machine or your manual. This always reminds me of building IKEA furniture…….
The upper looper thread must somehow go through the end of the looper. On tubular loopers, this is not an issue. On other machines you must manually put it through. The tweezers work really well here.
The lower looper gets set on the far right cone spool. Then the thread goes up and then through the tension disks, just like the upper looper. But not the SAME tension disks….it has its own set. Now you bring it down and follow the diagrams to run it through the correct spots, very similar to the other looper. Then comes the fun part….not. The lower looper is hard to thread. On this model, there is a white lever with a blue arrow that slides to the right, you wrap the thread around, then slide it back into position. Other models have you partially thread the lower looper, then move the looper all the way to the left, open up the left side of the machine and continue threading from there. This is an important thing to check in your manual.
Then the lower looper must somehow go through the end of the looper. On this serger, its done with the handy, dandy tweezers again.
Speaking of the handy, dandy tweezers, here is an example of how the “pros” store their tools. Yes, you do use the tweezers *that* often.
Now for the needles. These are a breeze. Do the right needle first. Put the cone of thread on the spool holder, 2nd from the LEFT. The thread goes up through the telescoping thingy, then the tension disks (see a pattern here?). When you get past the tension disks, run the thread to the left, as shown.
Next pull it up and then around, kind of like threading a sewing machine uptake. If you have threaded a sewing machine, this will feel natural to you. 
Next, bring it down, behind any thread guides and into the right needle. To do the other needle, repeat, only use the far left spool and tension disks. The thread runs through the uptake the same as the right needle. And voila…..you have the serger threaded. Whew. All ready to go!
A couple other pieces of wisdom I can share with you. There is a method called “tying on”. Since everything is threaded, especially the loopers, you can cut the threads by the cones and tie a new color on in a secure, but small knot, and pull the whole thing through the serger. If you want to do this, PLEASE don’t run the knot through the tension disks or the eyes of the needles. Its not good for either of them.
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